Things are getting very, very scary in Nigeria right now. During a session of a Shariah court in northern Nigeria earlier today, thousands of protesters showed up to throw stones:

Thousands of protesters threw stones into the Shariah court in a north Nigerian city Wednesday, urging the speedy convictions and executions of 11 men arrested for belonging to gay organizations.

Security officials fired into the air to disperse protesters in Bauchi city so the accused men could be safely returned to the prison. Judge El-Yakubu Aliyu closed the court abruptly.

“No one can be sentenced to death until confirmed without a reasonable doubt,” Aliyu said in response to calls for the men’s execution.

The court was arraigning seven of 11 accused men on Wednesday. Only three had given testimony when the mayhem began.

When we refer to the anti-gay pogroms that are sweeping the third world, we are not exaggerating. When we connect the dots between the American fundamentalists who are offering these regimes a helping hand, we are dead serious. Anyone who would do anything other than outright condemn what is going on in places like Nigeria, and recognize that this is a vicious cycle of hate that must stop, is a part of the problem.